The start of another working week also means a raft of new DVD/Blu-ray’s for you to covet. So let’s get to it.
FRIENDS WITH KIDS (DVD/Blu-ray) – dir. Jennifer Westfeldt
Last year gave us FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS, this year we get FRIENDS WITH KIDS. Featuring many of the cast of BRIDESMAID’S it fails to reach those heights but has its heart in the right place:
Two best friends decide to have a child together while keeping their relationship platonic, so they can avoid the toll kids can take on romantic relationships.
COSMOPOLIS (DVD/Blu-ray) – dir. David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg and all involved with COSMOPOLIS may want to avoid clicking here as our man Luke describes his latest work as “a self-indulgent, boring crime against cinema”. We aren’t expecting a christmas card…
Riding across Manhattan in a stretch limo in order to get a haircut, a 28-year-old billionaire asset manager’s day devolves into an odyssey with a cast of characters that start to tear his world apart.
ALAN PARTRIDGE ‘MID MORNING MATTERS’ (DVD) – dir. Ted Dowd
Returning with his greatest creation – and not far out from the forthcoming film – Steve Coogan dons his headphones for ALAN PARTRIDGE MID MORNING MATTERS. Our man Tom reckons it has on ” more razor-sharp wit, keenly observed dialogue and increasingly uncomfortable scenarios” Partridge fans rejoice.
Alan’s exploits on North Norfolk Digital radio have been repackaged in six 30-minute slices of comedic brilliance
UNDEFEATED (DVD) – dir. Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin
The first of two great documentaries for this week, UNDEFEATED covers high school American Football and is “one of the best sport documentaries of recent years” according to yours truly.
A documentary on an underdog football team who look to reverse their fortunes with coach Bill Courtney.
THE CASTLE (DVD) dir. – Michael Haneke
Looking to capitalize on Haneke’s shining star Artificial Eye release THE CASTLE – a made for TV movie based on Frank Kafka’s novel of the same name. Our own Claire described it as “an oddly compelling film, at times bizarre, disturbing, humdrum and darkly funny”
A man arrives at a distant snowbound village to take up his new post as land surveyor. However in an absurd turn of events, not only is there no post for him, but the mysterious “Castle” is putting obstacles in his way, and K.’s life soon descends into a spiral of futility and helplessness.
ETRE ET AVOIR (TO BE AND TO HAVE) – dir. Nicholas Philibert
Released for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK ETRE ET AVOIR is slightly wasted in high definition – it would be great carved into biscuit. Full of humanity and warmth we can’t recommend it enough.
A documentary portrait of a one-room school in rural France, where the students (ranging in age from 4 to 11) are educated by a single dedicated teacher.
Along with our featured few you can also pick up LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 50th Anniversary Edition (Blu-Ray), SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (Blu-Ray), and MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO (Blu-Ray) from today.
